Sunday 25 September 2011

Deathwatch

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Year:2002
Country of origin:UK / Germany
Director:Michael J. Bassett
Genre:World War 1 horror
Starring:Jamie Bell, Rúaidhrí Conroy, Laurence Fox, Dean Lennox Kelly, Kris Marshall, Matthew Rhys, Hugh O'Conor, Andy Serkis
Rating:4/5
IMDB link:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286306/
Tagline:Deliver them from evil
Favourite line:"Don't call me 'sir', alright? I'm a sergeant, I work for a living."

Down and dirty horror movie with an unusual setting.

The plot:
It's World War 1, and the British are pinned in place in their trenches by the German forces who, in their own trenches, have the distinct advantage of owning machine guns. One group of soldiers, Company Y, head 'over the top' and advance on the enemy lines, and are mercilessly strafed by bullets. A fog descends and suddenly it is daytime, and the guns have been silenced.
The survivors pick their way to the German trench and, bar a couple of survivors, find it is deserted and, more mysteriously, the place is littered with bodies, the German's having apparently turned on themselves.....

It's a really intriguing opening sequence, and sets the mood for what is a brooding, atmospheric piece of horror that is damned original, not least because of the setting. With rain lashing down constantly, the trench crawling with rats and everything in sight coated in thick, grey mud, director Michael J. Bassett does a fine job in bringing to life the horror of The Great War.
With some variable performances from the ensemble British cast, this does tend towards the rather shouty, though this is entirely down to the location, as men are forced to bellow over the sound of lashing rain.
With a reasonably low rating on imdb, seems some people aren't digging the vibe quite as much as I did, which is a shame, as this is a superior slice of British horror.
Enjoyed this.

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